Sweet Assassin
by Carousia
Summary: Usami - codename Usagi - became an assassin. He was tasked with a mission to find a weapon that could potentially destroy the world. To his surprise, Usagi found that the weapon he was looking for was none other than... a human? This is an AU. Superpower!Misaki and Assassin!Usagi
1. Chapter 1: Subject 001

Author's note: Writing had never been my strong suit. However, one day I just got struck by a lighting flash of inspiration and the story just… came to me I guess. This will be a story that I am determined to see through to the end.

* * *

Scientists in starch white coats scribbled on their clipboards furiously and murmured to their coworkers. They were studying a small figure through the tinted windows that encompassed a large room. Inside, a young boy with chocolate hair was closing his eyes and concentrating intensely. In front of him was a small orange pot with a sapling - its emerald leaves writhing and twisting as the plant slowly grew taller and taller before his outstretched arms. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead and slid its way down his cheek before dropping onto the white patient gown.

 _Please, please grow._ The boy silently begged. The plant complied as its trunk became thicker and its leaves more plentiful and vibrant. The small pot was unable to contain this growth and abruptly shattered into pieces. It was not long until a scientist on the other side of the glass turned on the microphone and told the boy to stop.

Exhausted, the boy collapsed on the ground. Before him was a towering oak tree with branches that brushed the ceiling and scraped the windows. Its roots burrowed into the grey linoleum floor and anchored itself firmly in the center of the room.

A burly man whistled behind one of the windows."It's going to take a while to cut that down," he laughed. "Aren't you proud, Shiori? Subject 001 is improving."

A slim woman with a brown ponytail glared at him. "He is not just a test subject Brutus," she snapped.

"Oh yes… _It_ had a name right?" Brutus mockingly put a finger on his chin. "Hmm, what was it -" he appeared to think before snapping his fingers. "Ah, I remember now! Misaki!"

Shiori seemed to stare daggers at the man as he flexed his muscles and whistled - ignorant of her hatred.

A tall scientist approached Shiori from behind and hugged her waist. "Shiori, just forget about him," he consoled her.

Shiori took deep breaths. "Thanks, Yori," she muttered.

"No probs dear," he grinned.

Shiori smiled endearingly at him before angrily turning to Brutus. "If you'll excuse us, we're going to see _Misaki_."

Brutus crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah… Just remember not to get too attached to it, ok?" he warned.

Shiori didn't reply as she dragged her husband with her into the room.

Misaki was curled up on the floor, breathing heavily. His gown was drenched with sweat and his brown hair was plastered to his face. His eyes were closed and his brows were furrowed from the strain.

"Misaki!" Shiori cried. She rushed to cradle the child's head in her arms.

"M...mom?" Misaki murmured weakly. He turned to the voice and looked at the speaker, revealing his two bright, green eyes.

"Yes, it's me Misaki," Shiori crooned. "Are you feeling ok?" She carefully brushed his hair away from his face.

"Yup. I'm just a little… tired."

"Don't forget about me!" Yori complained behind her. He was promptly pushed away and forgotten by Shiori when she ran to Misaki's side.

"Hi… dad," Misaki croaked. He felt lightheaded and lethargic. He widened his eyes when he saw the tree and smiled widely. "Wow, I- I did it! Did you see that Mom, Dad?"

"Yes, we saw you," Shiori replied softly.

"Haha, I-I actually did it. I..." Misaki trailed off. His head drooped to one side as he drifted into a deep sleep. The two adults smiled as Misaki breathed softly.

"Let me take it from here Shiori," Yori offered as he opened his arms.

"No, no, I can do it," Shiori grunted. She attempted to lift Misaki but failed to do so as she struggled.

"Shiori, I don't think you can lift a seven-year-old child like that."

"B-but-"

" _Shiori_."

"...ugh. Fine. Can you help me _dear_?"

"With pleasure. ...Haha, you're so cute when you're embarrassed."

"..."

"OW! No need to punch me."

"...hmph."

Yori lifted Misaki easily in his arms and walked out of the room with Shiori following close beside him. They went down a hallway to where Misaki's room was located. After Shiori opened the door, Yori went in and gently placed the boy on the bed.

The bed was in the corner of the spacious room. The room itself lacked furnishing but there was a small table with chairs as well as little toys scattered about. A camera was placed in one of the corners on the ceiling with its red light blinking ominously. There was a light switch, but Shiori didn't turn it on so as to not wake Misaki.

Taking a towel from her coat pocket Shiori meticulously wiped the sweat off of Misaki. Meanwhile the boy slumbered peacefully as if he wasn't disturbed. The pair look at the sleeping figure for a while before tucking him in the sheets. Once they went out to the hallway and heard the click of the door behind them, Shiori covered her mouth to stifle a sob.

"How long do we have to do this, Yori?" she whispered. Tears were spilling out of her brown eyes. "Forcing _children_ to do these inhumane tests…"

"Hush, dear," her husband demanded softly. "We are not alone here." Yori looked around furtively, but was reassured when he saw no one.

"We can't do anything… _anything_ to help!" Shiori cried.

"...we can."

"How?"

Yori opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it tightly.

"What's the matter?"

Yori put a finger to his lips.

Shiori blinked in surprise. Tacit understanding passed between the two of them and Shiori hurriedly wiped the tears from her eyes, smiling as she did so. They walked through the hallway hand in hand.

* * *

Misaki opened his bleary eyes to find that he was in his bed. He sat up and squinted at the clock hanging on the wall to find that it was only 6:30. He recalled yesterday's training with the tree and smiled at the memory.

I did it! Misaki cheered silently.

He always did his best in all the tests, exerting himself until he was on the verge of fainting. He always believed that as long as he did well, his parents would be proud. However, he remembered their pained smiles after each test - how they looked almost heartbroken as they see him collapse on the ground each time.

 _Why did they look so sad?_ Misaki wondered. He thought for a moment then shrugged. _Guess I'll have to try even harder on the next test._

Rubbing his eyes with one hand, Misaki placed the other on the bed. However, instead of feeling the smooth cotton sheets, Misaki felt… hair.

Looking down beside him, Misaki saw a mass of blonde curls. The hair shook as its owner snuggled in the sheets, muttering incoherently. Misaki brightened up and shook the boy awake.

"Wake up Noah! It's… 6:32!"

"Whuh? Whazzat?" Noah mumbled. "Lemme sleep…" He burrowed his head under the blanket.

Misaki shook his friend even harder. "Wake. Up."

Noah refused to budge. Misaki grinned mischievously as a plan formed in his mind. Slowly he rose until he was standing on the bed. The lumpy mass under the blankets was oblivious to what was happening. Bending his legs like springs, Misaki was getting ready to strike.

 _3...2...1 ...Jump!_

"Ack!" Noah yelped as he was suddenly squished by a force from above.

Misaki laughed gleefully as the blankets squirmed beneath him.

"Are you awake now?" he teased.

"Oh you-"

Noah burst from the blankets and playfully grappled with his friend, who was giggling and fighting back. They wrestled until they both plopped backwards on the mattress in exhaustion.

"How was training yesterday?" Noah asked nonchalantly.

"Haha, it was amazing! I was able to grow a really tall tree this time!"

"Wow! I remember how hard it was for you to even grow a shrub."

"..." Misaki frowned in annoyance at his remark. "How about you then?"

Noah smiled proudly. He stood up on the bed with both hands on his waist.

"I can control a mouse for thirty minutes now!"

Misaki clapped his hands. Noah smiled and fell back down on the bed.

"They said that I would able to control even large animals in the future!" he continued.

"That sounds so cool!" Misaki exclaimed. "...Um, how does your power work again?"

"Huh? I didn't tell you?"

Noah swiftly held Misaki's face with his hands, moving it until they were face to face. Noah's light grey eyes were staring intensely at Misaki's green orbs, which were opened wide with surprise. Noah's brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to evoke some sort of reaction. Misaki fidgeted uncomfortably as he waited… but nothing happened. Seconds passed before Noah eventually released his hold and fell back on the bed, breathing heavily.

"...Noah? Are- are you ok?" Misaki asked worriedly.

"Yeah… just taking a break…" Noah huffed.

"I think it doesn't work on people then."

"I guess. I mean, I only tried it on animals so far."

"What was supposed to happen?"

"Hmm. Well, I can't really explain. There's like this whoosh feeling then it feels like you're in another place and then that's when I know that it worked."

The two lied in silence on the bed. Then, there was knocking on the door and the two boys were instantly alert - sitting up on the bed and tensed up, ready for action.

The door opened and Shiori and Yori entered in, smiling and holding breakfast trays with bread and milk.

"Hey Misaki!" Yori chirruped. He saw Noah sitting on the bed. "Hullo to you too Noah!"

"Mom! Dad!"

Misaki scrambled down the bed and hugged Shiori. Noah stayed on the bed and watched as Misaki practically glued himself to Yori's leg. Shiori noticed Noah sitting awkwardly and smiled as she placed the tray on the table.

"Noah, you have your own room," Shiori chided. "Yet why do I always find you here in the morning?"

Noah got off the bed and looked down sheepishly while scratching his head.

"I don't know… I can't fall asleep unless it's with Misaki."

Misaki released his hold on Yori's leg to stand next to his friend.

"Mom, I let Noah sleep in my room because I can't sleep well by myself. Please don't get mad at him."

Shiori looked at Misaki, who was giving her a pleading puppy look, before giving a little chuckle. She went over to ruffle Misaki's hair before hugging the two boys. Noah immediately stiffened.

"Why would I be mad?" she smiled. "I'm happy that you two are friends."

Shiori released them and gestured to the table. Two breakfast trays were there, with steam still rising from the freshly baked bread.

"Misaki… your parents are so nice," Noah murmured enviously.

Misaki smiled at him brightly. "Yup! They're the best in the world!"

Misaki and Noah walked to the table and began to eat. Misaki noticed that only they were eating and the two adults were standing by the side, watching them.

"Mom, Dad, you're not going to eat?" Misaki asked. "I can give you some of my bread."

"No, we already ate," Yori explained. "Thank you though."

Misaki and Noah ate ravenously and finished their plates. Misaki was licking the crumbs off his fingers when Yori said that it was time to go. The boys left their trays on the table, as they followed the adults down the hallway to where the testing rooms were located.

"Misaki, you'll need to use a different room since the one you used yesterday is still being repaired," Shiori said.

"That's the one with the big tree right?" whispered Noah to Misaki.

"Yeah." Misaki nodded.

The adults stopped before a large shutter door with the words "Test Room 003" and turned to look at Misaki.

"Misaki dear, we're going to have to take Noah to his testing room," Yori said. "You'll be using this room for today."

"Don't worry," Shiori reassured Misaki. "It's just going to be the same exercise as yesterday. We'll see you soon, ok?" She kissed Misaki's head.

"Ok mom. Bye Noah! I'll see you during lunch!" Misaki waved his hands.

"Yeah. See you later." Noah turned to follow Yori and Shiori further down the hall.

Misaki took a deep breath as the shutter doors opened. Misaki went inside and the shutters fell behind him. The room was bare except for the pot that was in the center. The boy waited expectantly for instructions, confident that he can make the tree grow even faster than before.

"Subject 001, go to the center of the room" ordered a voice from the ceiling. It was gruff, unlike the voice from yesterday. Misaki obeyed and walked to the middle of the room. He smiled as he prepared himself, stretching his arms out in front of him.

"Now use the sapling to defend yourself." the voice instructed.

Misaki froze.

 _Defend myself?_ He wondered confusedly.

Suddenly, the sides of the wall opened to reveal turrets that were aimed toward the center.

Misaki was stiff. He didn't know what was going on. This was not what he did yesterday. He stood dumbly, staring up at the tinted glass.

"What are you waiting for Subject 001? We will commence shooting in five minutes."

Misaki was still dazed, his feet anchored to the floor.

 **Bang!**

Misaki jumped at the sound. On the floor was an indentation and smoke from a bullet shot by one of the turrets. The blood drained from the his face.

"This was a warning Subject 001. Defend yourself for ten minutes and the exercise will end."

Misaki collapsed onto the floor, his legs shaking uncontrollably.

"Mom… Dad…" he cried out, his voice shaking.

 **Bang!**

Misaki felt a searing pain on his cheek. He slowly raised his hand to his face and then looked at it to see crimson blood running down his fingers.

"This is your last warning, Subject 001. We will commence shooting if you don't act now."

Misaki curled himself into a ball on the floor and covered his head. He trembled in fear as his tears fell onto the linoleum floor.

 _Mom… Dad…_ He cried again. _Help me.._.

The plant in front of him shook.

* * *

A haggard scientist observed Misaki shivering from the other side of the window before turning toward a muscular man. He was sitting in a chair, holding the mic and looking down at the scene in annoyance.

"Brutus, Subject 001 doesn't seem to want to comply," the scientist stated.

"Well he's going to have to if he wants to be in one piece," Brutus growled.

"Subject 001 is to be kept alive."

"And it will be. A few scars won't kill anybody."

"...I'm afraid you don't understand. The subject is not to be harmed. Turn off the turrets before it's too late."

Brutus huffed in anger. He reached for a switch before something caught his eye. He abruptly stood from his chair while smirking in glee.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" he yelled.

In the center of the testing room was a wooden dome that pulsated as more and more bark was layered on top of each other. The branches protectively arched around the wood as the leaves covered the dome until it was a green mass.

Brutus looked at his watch. About three minutes passed. He shrugged.

"Eh, that was enough time. Now let's test this thing out!" he laughed maniacally.

He pressed a red button and all the turrets fired, raining bullets on the dome. The wood broke apart under the impact, but was replaced almost instantaneously. The dome grew larger and thicker. Meanwhile, the branches were slithering like snakes, stretching out slowly in the direction of the bullets. This continued for several minutes. Suddenly, the branches shot out at all the turrets, tangling and tearing them apart into pieces. The rain of bullets stopped. The dome looked unscathed, but it still pulsated as it shifted bark around and around. The branches were moving about the room as if it had a mind of its own, swishing this way and that. Gradually, the dome stopped pulsating and the branches became still.

Brutus whistled. "It never ceases to amaze me," he laughed. "Just imagine what it can do in front of an army! Why, this is like a tank - no, this is even better!"

As he said this the door to the observation deck slammed open. Brutus looked behind him to see Shiori breathing heavily, her hair in disarray. Yori was right behind her as he wiped the sweat from his brow. Shiori ran to one of the tinted windows and looked down. She gasped in horror.

"Brutus… what the hell did you do?"

Yori also saw the dome and the destroyed turrets. He clenched his fists until they were white.

"I was just testing the next step," Brutus replied casually. "We were going to do this anyways, so I thought that we should get a head start."

"Y-you…" Shiori stuttered. She had tears at the corners of her eyes.

"And look at the results!" Brutus continued, gesturing to the dome. "Subject 001 exceeded our expectations."

Yori yelled and swung his fist at Brutus, hitting him squarely on the cheek. Brutus smiled as he took the blow, appearing to be unaffected.

"You'll regret doing that," he threatened. He lifted his thick arm with a clenched fist.

Shiori quickly stepped in between the two, acting as a barrier. Her back was to Yori as she glared with intense hatred at the man in front of her.

"Brutus, you were not authorized to carry out this… this experiment," she said through gritted teeth. "With my authority, I can remove you permanently from this facility."

"Oh yeah?" Brutus replied nonchalantly. "But what if I got permission from the director?"

Shiori stepped back, bumping into Yori. She trembled as her face paled. Yori gripped her shoulders firmly.

"No… The director allowed you to do this without telling us?" Yori asked.

"Do I look like I'm lying?"

Shiori fell to her knees. Yori moved quickly to support her.

"Dear, Misaki need us right now," Yori urged her.

His words shook Shiori from her trance. She looked to give Brutus one last hateful glare before she and Yori left the observation deck. Brutus looked at their retreating figures and then shifted his gaze to the other scientists in the room- who flinched and turned away. Turning his gaze to the window, Brutus grinned. The dome was silent, but he remembered the intensity it showed just a few minutes ago - destroying everything in its path.

"Let's see how long you last," he whispered while stroking the glass.

Shiori stormed down to the lower levels where the testing rooms were. She stomped to the front of the closed shutters. She took out an earpiece from her coat pocket, pressed a small button, and put it on.

"Control, this is Shiori. Open TR shutter 003" she commanded.

"Shiori, this is Control, TR shutter 003 opening."

The shutter door rattled as it was lifted. Shiori saw the dome in the center and the branches which were sprawled everywhere. She was about to take a step inside before her arm was caught. She looked back to see Yori, who was huffing from running after her.

"Shiori… it's not good to rush in blindly," he breathed.

"I know, but I need to let Misaki know that everything is ok." She tugged on her arm but his grip didn't loosen.

"He just had a traumatic experience," Yori explained. "If you go in, he might mistake you for an enemy and…" He looked at the dismantled turrets on the ground. Shiori understood his fear. She raised her hand to cup his cheek.

"It's great that you're worried for me," Shiori smiled. "But think about how scared Misaki is right now. He needs us."

Yori took a deep breath and nodded his head. He let go of her arm.

"Well, I guess I can be your meat shield if it comes down to it," he said lightheartedly.

Shiori kissed his cheek before they entered into the room together.

The moment they entered it was as if a switch was flipped. The branches that were still suddenly flew into a frenzy. The dome jumped into action, pulsating wildly like before. The sound of muffled sobbing was heard from inside the dome. Shiori took a step forward.

"Stay away from me!" Misaki cried out. The branches responded to his anguish and came down like whips. Yori hugged Shiori - shielding her from the lashing - and yelled in pain as the branches scraped his back.

Shiori took another step closer to the dome - it was only a few more paces until she reached it.

"Misaki!" Shiori shouted, "It's me!"

The branches stopped momentarily before it continued to lash out even harder than before.

"No! You… you lied to me!" cried the voice in the dome. "Where were you?! When I was hurt, you weren't there! I called for you again and again..."

Shiori's heart broke to see Misaki in such anguish. Tears dropped from her eyes as she could imagine how frightened he was.

"Misaki, we're sorry!" Yori shouted. "We should've saved you. We shouldn't have left you here to deal with this alone."

Shiori took another step, and another. She continued to walk towards the center of the room.

"Don't come over here!" Misaki screamed. A thin branch hit Shiori's cheek, causing blood to make a trail down her face. She kept walking as if undeterred.

"Misaki, can you please forgive me?" Shiori pleaded. She took another step and she was directly in front of the dome, which shifted around agitatedly.

"No! I hate this! I hate you!"

More wounds opened up on Shiori. Although Yori did his best to take the brunt of the attack, some branches made it past. Shiori gritted her teeth in pain, but she kept her ground.

"Misaki, this will never happen again," Shiori promised. She knelt and touched the dome. The wood panels moved away from her hand as if it were repelled.

"..."

The branches gradually slowed down until it lay motionless on the ground once more. The wood kept shifting around the dome, but it shifted away from Shiori's hand - creating a small hole to the inside. The hole grew wider until Shiori saw Misaki's chocolate hair and reddened eyes. She reached in and pulled him gently out. As soon as he left the dome, Misaki dug his hands into her coat and cried. He cried but there were no tears. Shiori hugged the boy tightly and patted his head. She was crying too, water falling from her eyes and on Misaki's head. Yori wiped away his tears before hugging them both in one big bear hug. They stayed like this until Misaki stopped sniffling. He still had his head burrowed in the white fabric.

"Mom… Dad... promise that you'll always be with me," Misaki begged. "Don't leave me alone."

Yori and Shiori looked at each other.

"I promise."


	2. Chapter 2: Noah

Hi! I just wanted to let you all know that reviews and advice -especially those concerning the pacing - are welcomed and encouraged. I'm always looking for more ways to improve my writing. (^ ^)

I don't own anything except plot and OCs

* * *

"Bye Noah! I'll see you during lunch!" Misaki yelled. He was waving his arms when Noah was led down the hallway by Shiori and Yori.

"Yeah. See you later," Noah replied coolly. Noah continued to walk without turning snuck a glance at the boy to see that the tips of his ears were bright red.

"Looks like someone is happy," Yori snickered.

At the remark, Noah stiffened a little but maintained his stoic expression. His ears became even more inflamed as the color spread so that the entire ear was scarlet.

"Stop teasing him," Shiori scolded her husband. "Look at how uncomfortable he is right now."

Noah gritted his teeth and inwardly begged the two to stop. Fortunately, they were able to arrive at the testing room before Noah died of embarrassment.

Noah's testing room was different from Misaki's in that the entrance did not have shutters but rather steel double doors. There were also no tinted windows as the scientists would be in the room with Noah when he performed tasks.

As soon as Noah was at the doors, Shiori and Yori reluctantly told him that they had to leave.

"To see Misaki, right?" Noah smiled bitterly. He tried to appear cheerful and stretched out his smile - stretched it until his cheeks felt like it was going to split. The two adults nodded and looked apologetic.

Shiori gently placed her hand on Noah's shoulder.

"We'll come back to see you in the afternoon for lunch," she consoled him. Yori nodded behind her.

Noah felt his chest constrict momentarily. He couldn't help but be envious of how much Shiori and Yori cared for Misaki. He knew that they cared for him as well, but it was not to the same extent as they did for the other. He hated this uncomfortable feeling and chided himself for being so childish.

 _It's not Misaki's fault that he's so loveable._ Noah thought as he sighed silently. _Even I can't help but like him…_

Misaki was like the sunshine. Shiori introduced the kids to each other when they were four and the two were friends ever since. Noah was aloof at first, but gradually warmed up to Misaki's warm personality and smile. He could understand how charming Misaki is when compared to his own unsociable self.

Noah looked on as the two adults waved in farewell and turned to go back. They took a step before Yori stopped and turned around, his thin eyebrows raised in surprise. Noah was confused until he looked down to find his hand clutching tightly onto Yori's coat.

"I-I'm sorry," Noah stuttered as he let the fabric fall from his fingers.

Yori seemed to think for a moment before ruffling Noah's blond curls.

"You know what?" Yori laughed. "I think we have time to stick around for while."

"Well, I guess it's about time to see how much you've grown," Shiori added.

Noah beamed happily.

"I've improved lots!" he exclaimed. He grabbed their hands and dragged them into the room.

 _Sorry Misaki._ Noah thought a little guiltily. _But it's just going to be for a little while. Let me enjoy this one moment and then I'll give them back to you._

Noah seemed to be oblivious to world around him. His eyes were closed, but if one looked closely they would see the flickering movement under the eyelids. He stood in front of a dull laundry basket which contrasted the bright colorful shapes scattered haphazardly on the floor. A large grey husky panted as it circled the room. Yori and Shiori were standing in the corner watching the husky as it searched for the desired object - a red sphere, a yellow cube, a blue cylinder - and placed it in the basket.

After completing that assignment, the objects on the floor were cleared and hoops and ladders were set up. Noah had to make the dog do complicated combinations of tricks and maneuvers. Noah was reaching his limit in his concentration and the husky showed fatigue as it moved sluggishly.

Scientists were checking off items on their clipboards as they watched the animal from the sides of the room. Eventually, one scientist waved his hand and said that it was time for a break.

Noah opened his eyes and the connection with the animal was severed. The husky blinked his eyes and urinated on the spot before being taken away by staff. Noah was drenched in sweat but he looked at Yori and Shiori in the corner and made his way toward them.

"How did I do?" Noah asked breathlessly. He waited expectantly for their reply.

"You showed remarkable control of the animal during the tasks," Yori said honestly. "It's surprising how fast you've improved."

Noah felt a warm feeling spread inside him when he received the praise. But the moment didn't last long as one of the scientists approached Yori and whispered something in his ear.

Noah wasn't able to catch what was said but saw how Yori became pale and grabbed Shiori's arm.

"Dear, we have to go," Yori said hurriedly. The two said their goodbyes before rushing out the door.

 _I wonder what happened._ Noah thought with a twinge of disappointment.

He didn't have time to think about the issue when the scientists called Noah to start the next task.

* * *

"Those stupid scientists" Noah muttered. Sweat fell from his forehead like a waterfall. He had been exerting himself for more than two hours as he was ordered to complete increasingly challenging tasks with animals as small as mice to those as big as sheep. Noah sighed in relief when the scientists declared they were done for the morning.

Noah dragged himself out the doors and into Misaki's room. The lights were off. When he got there he collapsed immediately on the bed. Glancing at the clock he saw that it was almost noon.

 _Misaki isn't here yet?_ Noah wondered. Usually he would be the last to arrive, but today the room was empty.

Noah listened to the steady ticking of the clock. The sound was almost hypnotic and Noah's tired eyes drooped slowly. Soon Noah was fast asleep, breathing quietly on the bed, with his head nestled in his arms.

Noah's eyes shot open to the sound of hurried footsteps outside the door. He looked at the clock; it was two o'clock. In a flash Noah slid out of the bed and crouched on the side. This way, the bed acted as a barrier between him and the door and provided some cover. He held his breath.

Noah could hear muffled voices on the other side as they turned the knob. The door creaked as it swung open and closed and one of the figures flicked the light switch.

Noah now clearly saw who the "intruders" were and gasped. It was Shiori and Yori. They had scrapes and dark bruises and were wrapped from head to toe with looked tired and their faces were pallid. Yori was holding what looked like a large bundle of blankets. Noah jumped up from his hiding spot.

The adults were surprised when Noah revealed himself, but it was quickly replaced with exhaustion and relief.

"W-what happened to you…?" Noah stuttered.

Yori looked at him wearily.

"Not now." Yori replied. He walked closer to the bed. Noah jumped in front of him and blocked his way

"Tell me," Noah demanded. "I won't move until I know."

Yori sternly looked at Noah. Noah stared back defiantly, but his arms trembled as he did so. Yori held his gaze until he broke it off and sighed in resignation.

"Something went wrong with Misaki's experiment,"

"What?"

"He went out of control."

"Y-you mean to say that Misaki actually hurt you? No, that can't be right! Misaki considers you to be his family! Why in the world did he do that?"

Yori grimaced, his lips pursed.

"It's not his fault."

"..."

"...Could you move now, Noah?"

With a nudge, Noah moved dazedly to the side. Yori sluggishly walked to the bed and gently released what he was holding.

Noah looked over at the blanket cocoon and gasped for a second time. It was Misaki - who was currently asleep. A band-aid was on his cheek, but he didn't appear to be severely injured. Noah felt his breath hitch when he saw the red lines running down Misaki's face. Misaki sniffled a little as he shifted in the blankets and Noah wiped a stray tear from the boy's face.

"Who did this to him?" Noah demanded quietly. His voice was strained and hoarse. He continued to look at Misaki - unwilling to look away. Yori shifted uncomfortably and stared at the floor, his fingers clenched.

"It was Bruce."

Both Noah and Yori snapped their heads up. It was Shiori who spoke. Since the beginning she was quiet - allowing Yori to do the talking. She was holding back her frustration, and forced herself to appear calm. However, she just couldn't hold her emotions back anymore.

"Shiori-" Yori started but Shiori cut him off.

"Bruce authorized a completely different experiment than what we had planned."

"What did he do?"

"He… he had bullets fired at Misaki. Misaki was forced to defend himself for almost ten minutes." Shiori's voice broke and she turned to cough.

Noah took a step back. He laughed nervously.

"What the heck? Aren't you two the head scientists? Why was he allowed to do such a thing?"

Noah thought for a moment and pieced together the information. After a few seconds he looked up at Yori.

"If Brutus was able to override the both of you... then he must've obtained permission from someone with greater authority - the director," Noah deduced.

Yori didn't refute what was said.

Noah then smiled sadly and continued: "And the reason why this happened was because you weren't there to stop him - Brutus, i mean. You were watching me do these silly tricks when Misaki really needed you."

 _It's all my fault._ Noah thought guiltily. _If I wasn't so selfish then Misaki, Yori, and Shiori wouldn't have gotten hurt._

Yori glanced at Misaki, who was still sleeping deeply, before kneeling and placing his hands firmly on Noah's shoulders.

"Noah, listen to me carefully," Yori said in a low voice. "It's not your fault things turned out this way. It's the darned experiments and the people behind it who are to blame. We're not without fault either."

"But-"

"Let me finish. Shiori and I were the ones responsible for Misaki's safety. We… were overconfident in thinking that you two were safe under our protection. However, I am certain that the director plans on transferring control over to Brutus."

Noah shivered unconsciously.

Yori grinned comfortingly. "Don't worry. Shiori and I plan on doing all we can to prevent that from happening. We won't let that muscle-brained maniac hurt you or Misaki." Yori relinquished his hold on Noah's shoulders and stood up.

Noah smiled back half-heartedly.

"Ah, **a muscle-brained manic** , was it?" chuckled a deep voice. It came from the other side of the door - out in the hall.

Noah's blood froze. Yori and Shiori stiffened. The door creaked open to reveal Brutus looking at his nails in a nonchalant manner. He leaned against the door frame.

"W-when did you come here?" Yori spoke through gritted teeth.

"Just now." Brutus lifted an eyebrow. "Unless there was something I missed?"

Noah backed up against the bed and used his body as to shield Misaki. Yori and Shiori used their bodies to act as a barrier between Brutus and the children.

"Why are you here?" Shiori demanded.

Brutus laughed - a guttural unpleasant sound - when he saw their tensed expressions.

"Hahaha, don't be so nervous. I'm just here to relay a message to you two."

"To...us?"

Brutus jabbed his thumb to the hallway behind him.

"The director would like a word."

Yori and Shiori glanced behind them.

"Don't worry, I'm just here for you two," Brutus smiled. "They're not in danger... _yet_."


End file.
